SUNDAY, July 13, 2014 at 11:00 AM
Seneca elders teach that since plants support us, we in turn acquire responsibilities toward plant life, such as giving thanks to the Creator and living in balance with the natural world. We’ll be enjoying our walk along the Ethnobotanical Trail with Whitney Carlton at this historical site of the Seneca people; one of the six nations comprising the Iroquois Confederacy.
Seven Botanical members braved the pouring rain and stormy
weather to meet Whitney Carleton at Ganondagan on Sunday, July 13th. We first watched an informative video about Ganondagan in
the dry visitor center where we learned that the replica Long House is sided
with authentic fabricated elm bark!
Whitney began our tour by introducing us to Angelica which is a non toxic medicinal plant in the wild parsnip
family. Angelica has a compound leaf and umbel shaped flower. A very toxic
relative in the parsnip family is hogweed. Whitney assured us that the toxic
burning hogweed is not present at the 570 acre Ganondagan site at this time.
Instead of a walk along the Ethnobotanical Trail we agreed
to hear about Whitney’s role at Ganondagan through the New York State Office of
Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the NY Works Task Force. Whitney walked us toward the Long House (to
seek shelter from the rain) where we heard more about her role to help in the
removal of invasive species at Ganondagan.
On our way to the Long House we stopped to see a Great Tree
of Peace: a White Pine
The White Pine is a
symbol of peace and unification for the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois). It grows very tall and straight and so can be
seen from very far away. The needles or
long leaves keep their green color all year long which is a symbol for constant
watchfulness and alertness. The needles grow in bundles of five, which is a
reminder of the original Five Nations, the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga and Seneca Nations.
The White Pine and all of the trees are part of the web of life and so are
important in making sure that life as we know it can continue. The White Pine
and all of the trees are greeted and thanked each day by the
Haudenosaunee. The Peacemaker uprooted a White Pine and asked the people
to throw their weapons of war into the hole so that the people of the future
would not have to experience war. (Thus,
the expression “Bury the Hatchet”)The tree was replanted and is referred to as
The Great Tree of Peace. It is said to
have four White Roots of Peace which reach north, south, east and west to the
ends of Turtle Island. The four White Roots of Peace
are a symbolic invitation to all peoples to accept peace.
Whitney
pointed out Plantago major ("broadleaf plantain" or "greater plantain") which was believed to be one of the
first plants to reach North America after European
colonization. Reportedly brought to the Americas by Puritan colonizers,
plantain was known to the Iroquois as "white man's footprint" due to
how it thrived in the disturbed and damaged ecosystems surrounding European
settlements. Whitney demonstrated how
one may eat the top third inch of the flower stalk three times a day for three
days to help repel mosquitoes by altering one’s perspiration. masticated plantain can be used to heal open
wounds.
Once
safely in the long house Whitney told us about the pale swallow-wort (introduced from Ukraine in the 1860s) which is
non-native and invasive smothering the native species. The roots of the swallow-wort send out toxic
chemicals that inhibit the growth of surrounding plants. Swallow-wort (kin to and visibly similar to young
milkweed) threatens monarch butterflies by crowding out milkweed where the
butterflies lay eggs and their larvae feed. Monarchs lay eggs on swallow-wort
leading to larval death. Swollow-wort needs to be removed by digging out the
root which is two inches below the surface.
By simply pulling it out of the ground the root bulb will separate and
cause it to multiply. Whitney explained
that they are trying to eradicate the swallow-wort by controlled mowing (to
keep the wind dispersing seed from forming) and plan to remove the top four
inches of topsoil with a bulldozer which will be contained in an enclosed
compost area to be destroyed. Ground
fill from the construction of the new educational center will be used to
replace the removed top soil and replanted as a butterfly garden by the Seneca
Park Zoo.
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Whitney holds pale swallow wort that she snapped off below bottom most leaves.
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swallow wort along side common milkweed
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| flowering swallow wort |
With
a break in the rain we ventured back out to observe native plants and the
Creator’s Garden.
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| American Hazelnut |
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| ginger - has maroon flowers |
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| Spicebush: Whitney shared several uses by the Iroquois |
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| black raspberries: there is an importance to eating fruits "in season" which have benefits nutritionally and also in a way that they help us to "slow down" to harvest and eat them |
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| garlic mustard |
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tree of heaven and honeysuckle roots ready to burn |
bloodroot transplants - taken from private property with permission from the property owners and after thanks was given for the earth's provisions. When collecting species to transplant, the first and second plants will be passed over until a third site is found. Gatherer will then center back to the main source of the species for transplants. |
| crown vetch - great for underground erosion control |
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| flower looks like a crown |
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| Unknown species....any help from our colleagues? |
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Scarlet beebalm |
Mullein - European introduction with several practical and medicinal uses
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Whitney shared this rhyme as a help to identify different species:
Sedges have edges, and rushes are round,
But grasses have nodes easily found.
But grasses have nodes easily found.
And finally back to the visitor center where the Three Sisters Garden grows
